OSCE official pays visit to Georgia
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Monday, January 19
Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Spencer Oliver paid an official visit to Georgia. In the frames of the visit, he met with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili and President Giorgi Margvelashvili. Georgia’s occupied regions and cooperation with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly have been the key topics of the meetings. The sides also touched upon the 25th annual OSCE Parliamentary Assembly session that will take place in Tbilisi in the spring of 2016.
Discussing the situation of the de-facto regions of Georgia, Gharibahsvili revealed his concern with regard to signing the treaty on Alliance and Strategic Partnership between Russia and Abkhazia, calling the agreement an attempt to annex the region by Russia.
He also informed the OSCE official that Russia intended to sign the same type of agreement with breakaway South Ossetia in the near future.
In his comment Oliver stated that he had been to Georgia many times and met various officials, “but Georgian hospitality remained unchanged.”
Aside from condemning the treaty signed between Russia and Abkhazia, the president broadly spoke about the OSCE session in 2016.
He emphasized the importance of the event.
Oliver stated that he had met with Margvelashvili before he was elected president.
“I am glad that Mr. Margvelashvili has fulfilled his obligations remarkably. He had an excellent career and his qualifications perfectly fit his current position. We have discussed the challenges in Georgia and in the whole region and concluded that everyone is eager to find solutions to the recent obstacles,” Oliver said.
The OSCE official also held meetings with Georgia’s foreign ministry representatives and parliamentary opposition members.
The individuals stated that they discussed the situation on Georgia’s occupied regions, the OSCE’s role in such conflicts and Georgia’s relations to international organizations.
